Historic Weekend Ahead For PASS LMs

NAPLES, Maine – As far as the weather goes, the 2013 season has not been kind to racers of the Pro All Stars Series (PASS). An unprecedented number of cancellations has made an already long season even longer for North America’s top short track racers and left fans clamoring for more events.

This weekend, thanks to 2013’s unruly weather, PASS competitors from New Hampshire to Virginia will be making history. Saturday’s scheduled 400 laps of competition between PASS North’s Twin 150’s at White Mountain Motorsports Park and PASS South’s 100 lap make up event at South Boston Speedway will mark the most laps of PASS Super Late Model racing action ever held in a single day.

The historic day of racing will begin Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park with a truly unique day of competition. For the first time ever, PASS North Super Late Model competitors will compete in two points paying events in the same day. The first 150 lap race will be a continuation of an event that was cancelled due to rain on Aug. 4 and will be lined up based on heat races held that day. Following the first 150 lapper, PASS North teams will reset and hold heat races on Saturday to determine the starting lineup for race two.

With the race for the PASS North championship so tight, the entire season could come down to Saturday’s Twin 150s at White Mountain. A mechanical problem or an accident in the first race could have serious implications towards the championship if a driver is unable to compete in the second twin.

Joey Doiron comes to White Mountain as the PASS North points leader thanks to his consistency. Doiron has finished in the top five in all but one event in 2013. Cassius Clark sits just two points behind Doiron, after scoring wins at Oxford Plains and Beech Ridge. Clark has two wins at White Mountain, including a checkered flag there last year. Last year’s PASS North Champion Travis Benjamin sits just five points out of the championship lead on the strength of two PASS North wins this season at Oxford Plains, including the prestigious TD Bank 250.

But, perhaps the biggest proponents for this weekend’s Twin 150s at White Mountain are the drivers sitting fourth through sixth in PASS North points, D.J. Shaw, Ben Rowe, and Johnny Clark. Shaw considers White Mountain to be his home track and has won there three times. J. Clark has won there twice, both during his PASS North championship runs in the late 2000s. But, Rowe has dominated at White Mountain like few drivers have at any track in New England. Rowe has taken the checkered flag there an amazing nine times, nearly a third of his entire PASS North win total. If any of these drivers can sweep the Twins on Saturday, it will thrust them right back into the thick of the title chase.

While the White Mountain Twin 150’s will be going on, PASS South competitors will be readying for their 100 lapper at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway. The race was originally scheduled for 150 laps, but due to an already packed schedule at South Boston the race has been shortened by 50 laps. The field was set on Aug. 17, but shortly after the top 10 qualifiers redrew for their starting positions, the rains came and the event was postponed until this weekend.

Defending PASS South Champion Kyle Grissom was the fast qualifier and will start tenth after the redraw. The May winner at South Boston, Ross Kenseth and rookie Spencer Davis will lead a stacked field of competitors to the green flag, including PASS South points leader Jay Fogleman, who will start sixth alongside veteran Steve Wallace. With the race being shortened by 50 laps, it will put a premium on every lap as drivers try to position themselves for a run at the lap 100 checkered flag.

Action will get under way on Saturday, Aug. 31 at White Mountain Motorsports Park for the PASS North Super Late Model Twin 150’s at 4 p.m. along with double features for the PASS Modifieds and a feature event for PASS Sportsman. The PASS South Super Late Models will get the green flag Saturday night at 7 p.m. for their 100 lap feature at South Boston Speedway.